Kokua Line
Kokua Line
State libraries have
many jobs for volunteersQuestion: Can I volunteer to help check books out of any of the state libraries? I would be more than willing do this from the heart, and it would be advantageous for the state. I would even sign a notarized statement that the state would not be liable from any lawsuit. It seems that the state librarian does not care for volunteering, but I feel common citizens could help out the libraries.
Answer: You can volunteer at any state library, but state Librarian Virginia Lowell says that's not going to solve the budget crunch that's leading her to reduce library hours, halt the bookmobiles and cut the library materials budget.
She told Kokua Line, via a communications officer, last week that she was taking those measures to make $526,000 in budget cuts by June 30.
She maintained that reducing hours was "the fairest and most equitable way" to make the cuts systemwide, while avoiding closing any library or laying off staff. But her plan has come under fire from Gov. Linda Lingle.
While that plays out on the political stage, volunteers are welcome to help with story times, mend books, sort through donations, help with book sales, etc. Just contact your local library. This past fiscal year, 1,555 volunteers donated 44,765 hours at libraries statewide.
And you don't have to sign any waiver. Volunteers are covered by the state's insurance when they are working in the library.
Beyond volunteering, Lowell said the best way to help is to write legislators "to support the library system's initiatives and encourage them not to cut the system's budget any further."
Q: I am recovering from cancer and wanted to hike to the top of Diamond Head for the spiritual experience. I paid the $5 to enter by car and hiked to the top. There were about 30 people there. I couldn't believe it when a guy started selling tours, holding a clipboard and taking names. He made three sales pitches in half an hour. Can anyone go up there and do this?
A: You cite a "chronic" problem, and the person you describe is well known to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which oversees Diamond Head crater.
But it boils down to "a freedom of speech issue, a First Amendment right," said Gary Moniz, administrator for DLNR's Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.
"We have been focusing on actual commercial activities," he said. "The fact that somebody talks about a tour, that of and in itself is not illegal. What is illegal if they take it to next level" -- actually selling tickets or merchandise and collecting money.
Moniz said state officials have listened to "that person's spiel," and note he's careful to say "complimentary hiking tour."
Whether people end up giving him a "donation" away from the state park is something that the state can't enforce. However, "We've actually made cases when we can prove all of the elements of a commercial activity," Moniz said. "We go up there and are always checking."
If you are propositioned to buy something, call DLNR's hot line, 587-0077 and report the date, time and location.
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Useful phone numbers
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
E-mail to kokualine@starbulletin.com